wants when you
sing. Not a place--but--everything."

"Yes. That's what I feel," Joan replied, quite seriously.

Patricia did not eat much that evening, but she gave the impression that
she was doing so.

The girls always disposed of the dishes, after dinner, in a wizard-like
manner. They disappeared until morning--and no questions were asked!

Then, when the meal was over this night, Patricia flung herself on the
couch, clasped Cuff in her arms, and asked Joan to sing her to sleep.

"You _are_ tired, Pat. Was it a hard day?"

Joan came wistfully to the couch.

"No, not hard, only bracing. They're going to raise me in the summer,
Joan. We'll be fat and lazy next winter--and just think: the summer in
The Gap lies between!" For that was what Joan's deferred visit had
resolved itself into.

"Pat, your cheeks are--red!"

"Joan, don't be silly. I touched them up. I never could see the
difference between rouge and dyes and powder and false teeth! They're
all aimed at the same thing--and it isn't mastication, either. It's how
you handle the aids to beauty."

"Dear, funny, pretty old Pat!"

"Joan, go and sing!"

That night Cuff was dreaming the old haunting dream about waking up in
the gutter when something startled him. It was a very soft call.

"Come up here, Cuff, I want you--close!"

Cuff needed no second invitation! But the closer he got the more nervous
he became.

"Cuff, look at me!"

Cuff looked.

"Cuff--once--you wouldn't have looked!"

Cuff denied this by a vigorous whack of his stumpy tail.

There were a few minutes more during which Patricia said some very
remarkable things about being glad that children and dogs could look at
her; and that Joan felt happy with her, and that love had something to
say for itself if you didn't wrong it, and then Cuff voluntarily jumped
from the bed and scampered into Joan's room. Joan was sleeping and Cuff
had to tug rather savagely at her sleeve before he attracted her
attention. But when Joan was awake every sense was alert.

"What's the matter?" she asked, but while she was speaking she was on
her way to Patricia's room.

Patricia was tossing about and laughing gently; she was insisting that
she was going up the Climbing Way and that the travelling was hard and
the weather hot! For a moment Joan stood still. All her strength
deserted her, but in that instant she knew the worst, as people do at
times--when the end is near!

It was only three days for Pa